I'm leaning heavily towards partnering up with my dad & brother, but they're looking more into lending right now  + selling some assets to be in a strong cash position for the next downturn.

Do you have any zip codes you like to invest in with strong rents?

It shows the seller this buyer is more than qualified to buy the house and the finances are strong. 

Ray Li, I would like to strongly encourage you to seek out some advice elsewhere as well to get plenty of input on this. 

That being said, there are a lot of new apartments and higher end homes west of 430, so I don't think the rental market is strong there. 

Don't worry I'm not asking for strong guidance or asking you to tell me what to do.

Always have a very strong lease agreement and be sure to have a refundable security deposit, that way they have incentive to not ruin your property as much!

@Mike Hoherchak in my opinion if you are buying a quality asset that cashflows and can provide moderate to strong returns you are in great shape.

Often times they've been living a clean life and the presence of the ex-con causes them to fall off the wagon and just derails their life. 

I strongly believe that gaining experience at this point in my life is much more valuable than making good money at dead end job!